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GodofWarOC

Intro
Two of the best titles from the PSP’s collection arrive in HD on the PS3 in a single package for $40 - you should probably pick this one up. In other news, I should probably use more punctuation.


Game
If you’ve never played a God of War game before you’re really selling yourself short. The original games for the PS2 and sequels on the PS3 are some of the best action-adventure games of this gaming era. With stellar combat, platforming, and even a few decent puzzles, they’ve set the standard for what third person action should be. It was inevitable that the series would make its way to the Playstation Portable and developer at the helm, Ready at Dawn did a phenomenal job transferring the experience to the handheld. We gave 'Chains of Olympus' a 9.0 (review) and 'Ghost of Sparta' an 8.9 (review) when they were first released, so I’m not going to bother reviewing the games themselves. For more details you can head back in time to read our original review for all the game specifics.

Shiny HD fo-shizzle
What I will talk about in this review is the re-mastering of these titles to high-definition on the PlayStation 3. As much as the PSP is a great handheld system, and as I mentioned, 'Ready at Dawn' did an amazing job, the PS3 is where 'God of War' belongs. There’s something about witnessing the stunning vistas and epic battles at 1080p and 60 frames per second on the big screen that can’t be captured on a tiny handheld. The controls on the Dual Shock also feel so much tighter and refined than those of the PSP, but that speaks more to system design than the game itself. These games look great in high-definition, though they still aren’t as impressive as their standard PS3 counterparts. It’s kind of like when you buy a brand new graphics card for you computer. You can finally run some of your favourite games from a few years past with maxed out graphics settings, and although you’re incredibly stoked at the prospect of doing this they still don’t quite stand up to the newer games you’ve been playing.

A game is a game, is a game
Not being up to par with the newer games you have been playing is a minor point as the game still plays great. All the combos, weapons, and cheesy Kratos screams are intact and as good as they have always been. There isn’t much wrong with these games, but I can of course always dig up a few gripes.

One issue was that game seemed to pause or freeze up once and a while. It happened often enough that I figured it must be the game and not my system. It appeared to happen around the halfway point of a level so my assumption would be that its pre-loading or caching assets for the rest of the level. I’d definitely take that over a loading screen but it is a bit jarring.

The only other issue I have is the length. A lot of people are quoting length to be around 8-9 hours per game, but that’s about how long it took me to complete both, and that includes collecting all the Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix feathers, as well as maxing out all weapons and magic. I was playing on Normal for those of you wondering. There are of course challenge rooms to play through and the ability to play through the game again with all your upgrades in the ludicrously difficult God mode, but I still wish they had packaged the original PlayStation 2 games with these ones to create an incredibly worthwhile package.


Lowdown
If you’ve never played a God of War game before this is as good a place to start as any. It speaks well of the franchise that there really isn’t a weak spot. If you like action-adventure you’re crazy to not grab this at $40. Game length aside, it's really fun to play as Kratos. The story isn’t really the best, but I don’t really pay attention anyway. I’m just salivating waiting for the next group of enemies to appear so I can see how high I can get my combo counter. The weapons and abilities you get to use in these games are arguably the best in the series, so even if you feel like these games are all the same; they are still worth a look. The sound is great, especially in 5.1 – I love this soundtrack. What are you waiting for? Stop reading and run to the store.


Boxart
+
  • The same stellar gameplay you’re used to in GOW games
  • Visuals are great for up-rezzed PSP titles
  • Great value for the price
  • Visual Hiccups
  • Length is a bit short, though they are very replayable

Quote: "If you’ve never played a God of War game before this is as good a place to start as any."

Reviewed by Mike Baggley | 09.20.11

Similar Articles: GOW: Ghost of Sparta (8.9) | GOW: Chains of Olympus (9.0) | God of War Collection (9.0)

Boxart

God of War
Origins Collection

Publisher
SCEA

Developer
SCEA

Genre
Action

US Release
September '11

ESRB
"M"

Platform
PS3

Details
Players 1
HD 480-1080p
Dolby 5.1
3D Compatible